Being Ares: Enduring Freedom
by Arianwen P.F. Everett
Summary: After having an important meeting canceled by the arrival of anti-war protesters, Dr. Naadiah sends Ares is back to deal with Eli again. Will the God of War be able to contain his rage this time, or will history repeat itself?
1. Chapter 1

Authoress' Note: This story begins in November of 2001, several months after the events of 'Soul Possession'.

P.S. While you have to be familiar with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to read this story, you don't need as much background on 'Being Erica' to follow along. In that series, Erica Strange, a 31-year-old woman living in Toronto in 2009, undergoes the same time travel therapy featured in this story, in order to learn from her regrets over her past choices. While Erica's doctor is Dr. Tom, the therapist featured in 'Being Ares', Dr. Naadiah, appeared in a handful of 'Being Erica' episodes and was once Dr. Tom's therapist and his mentor during the series. In short, 'Being Erica' lends its premise and a few of its characters, but this is first and foremost a Hercules: The Legendary Journeys / Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic.

 **Being Ares:** **Enduring Freedom**

 **Part** **1**

A Xena: Warrior Princess / Being Erica Crossover

By Arianwen P. F. Everett

Ares finished his wine and looked out the window, sighing at the sight of around two thousand protesters. He and his colleagues had scheduled this meeting to discuss new developments in targeting systems, and he'd been the only one to show. Twenty minutes after he'd arrived and gotten himself a drink, he'd been party to a conference call with the other four other men he'd been expecting, all calling to cancel. They didn't have the stomach for a gauntlet, so they rescheduled for next Tuesday, and left him to his White Rioja and Chilean sea bass. He wasn't surprised, but he missed the days when warlords would leave their wives' beds just for five minutes of his time. Now he was 'penciled in', albeit at the highest levels, for consultations and networking. The civility of it bored him, but it was part of how wars were begun and waged in the 21st century, so here he was.

Pushing aside his half eaten meal, Ares signed his receipt and added a generous tip before walking out into the hustle and bustle of the city. He had no idea how the protesters had discovered his meeting or why they took such an interest in this particular get together, but the men, women, and even a few children were shouting up a storm behind the barricades that kept the sidewalk free for traffic. By the Gods he hated peaceniks, he'd hated them since that freak Eli and his cult had come on the scene, and this mob was little different. So little different that he recognized one of the faces from Eli's entourage handing out fliers to her fellow hippies and sidled over to one of the barricades, giving the cop a serious stare down when he tried to redirect him away from the protesters and through the line. "What ya doin' in London, Blondie?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Mattie Merrill responded, a bit startled from the God of War's sudden appearance.

"Oh, I was just meeting with some clients who wanted to sell me on their new and improved missile guidance system. And you?" Ares queried, having made sure that only he and Gabrielle's reincarnation heard their conversation, not wanting to be personally mobbed by dozens of humans who opposed his existence.

Mattie straightened her back, refusing to be on her guard with Ares of all

people. "I'm the new European Action Coordinator for Unite for Peace, we're a diverse group of.."

"Ah I'm the God of War; I keep apprised of my adversaries. You're run by that Sophia Zembo.. something, played a minor role in the nuclear disarmament push in the eighties. Decent woman if you can get past the frog-like voice. Obviously suffering from dementia if her current hiring practices are any indication," Ares cut in, smirking at the former blonde who'd just rolled her eyes at the subtle barb.

"Funny. So I'm guessing you're pretty pleased with yourself after September 11th?" Mattie returned in a scolding tone. She'd never forget watching those buildings come down. As terrible as things used to be back when she was the Battling Bard of Poteidaia, the scale of destruction was far larger today.

"Not so much, but it's a living. I prefer smaller operations these days, so much more bloody and personal, but a War God has to go where the seats of mortal power lay, so here I am," Ares confessed, seeing no downside in letting Gabrielle in on his perspective of modern warfare.

"Poor baby," Gabrielle's reincarnation replied, not really caring about the God of War's disenchantment with the superpowers of the world.

"So how's Xena? Last time we spoke, she was literally beating down my door over that Evander guy's disappearance. Did she and Jerkules ever find him? Is she still upset?" Ares asked, knowing perfectly well they'd never find Evander as there was now no Evander to find. What was important was Xena's mood and her view of him. He knew he shouldn't care so much, his first session with Dr. Naadiah and taught him that his own opinion had to matter more, and yet he couldn't completely stop measuring himself by the Warrior Princess' attitude towards himself.

Gabrielle's feature turned somewhat abashed as she was forced to concede they'd been on the wrong track there. "No, we never found him, and for reasons I won't go into, we don't think we ever will. We owe you an apology there, Ares. You really didn't have anything to do with it."

"I don't care about an apology. I'm used to getting blamed for things I didn't do. What counts is Xena's take on the matter. Look, I know it will likely be a while before she's willing to hear an apology for that stupid contract and the press conference debacle. I get that. What I need to know is how much worse what happened at my place in DC has made things," Ares admitted, knowing Gabrielle understood this weakness of his. The irritating former-blonde might not have any sympathy for him, but another lesson he'd learned in therapy was that he had to be forthcoming with information when the stakes were high, and that even when his instincts told him to puppeteer his way to a solution, that was rarely the best course. Gods and mortals alike were just more receptive when he was upfront and gave them a voice in the decisions that affected them.

Realizing how difficult this conversation must be for a god, Gabrielle decided to deescalate things and answer his question without any jibes at his expense. "She knows you didn't harm Hercules' nephew, so I think you're okay on that score. And you're right that she's still spitting daggers over the contract, but I can speak with her when I get home tomorrow night, and.."

"No, the apology has to come from me. I just don't want to push her till she's ready to hear it," Ares abruptly cut off the petite woman's offer before she could make it. It wouldn't do him any good to apologize by proxy. Xena wouldn't respect such an action, and there would be no hope of forgiveness.

Mattie understood well enough. What she didn't understand is how she could come to understand Ares' point of view. Something had changed in him over the centuries. Perhaps he'd been heavy handed at the press conference, but having calmed down since then, he was acting more reasonably, which confused her. She needed to regroup and figure this out. "I understand, but I need to get back to work. Is there any message you would like me to deliver when I see Xena next?"

"No, not really. Just say 'hi' for me. That's enough," Ares replied, wanting Gabrielle to know that there was only so far he was going to go in expressing his feelings around her. He'd leave the ball in her court as to what to say, but he did want Xena to know that they'd met up. Not letting her know things like that had a bizarre way of biting him in the butt.

"Okay. Will do," Mattie returned, now left to figure out what she'd tell Xena about the meeting.

As Ares turned to leave, he felt like he'd made this day mean something. Sure his meeting had fallen through, and he still had a few smaller hot spots around the globe to work on, but he and he'd walked away from Blondie on a good footing. He couldn't really see anyway for the bard to twist this on him and use it to poison his relationship with Xena.

All in all, it felt like a small victory, and Ares smiled as he turned onto an abandoned alleyway and used the privacy to disappear. Only to end up in Dr. Naadiah's office, facing his therapist's equally positive mood. "You seem happy."

Taking a seat, Ares leaned back and nodded. "I am. I am. For once I think I got the best of Blondie. I didn't loose my temper. I didn't give her any ammunition to shoot me with that I couldn't withstand if she did. So yeah, it's been a good day so far, very productive on a personal level at least."

Catching the last part, Dr. Naadiah smirked at the question she was about to ask the God of War. "Trouble at work?"

"More like nuisances at work. Blondie's now a pacifist-for-pay, so she was at a protest that put the kibosh on a lunch meeting. We rescheduled, but it's still throws my calendar off. Not to mention the Chilean sea bass was really bland," Ares added, not really concerned about the impact of the protest or Mattie's presence.

"I'm sorry to hear that. So, tell me about regret number 12, 'Shish kabobing Eli'," Dr. Naadiah opened expectantly, getting their session on track. Ares was obviously not picking up on the leads she was tossing out, which usually meant the patient had no idea what they were going to work on that day. Probably due to the sheer amount of time he'd been examining his regrets, Ares was usually quicker at discovering the problem, even if he needed the session to come to grapple with it and figure out a way to deal with the emotions the process brought up. This time the War God appeared completely unaware of how his recent run in with Gabrielle's reincarnation and this incident in his past fit together, so Dr. Naadiah decided that rather than try to draw the connections out with words, she'd send him in a day earlier in the timelines and let the momentum of experiencing his past lead him to the point of contention more organically.

"Eli…" Ares felt the name move through his lips, followed by an irritated groan. To this day he had trouble figure out how such a scrawny, worthless creature could become a vessel for the God of Love. He got that making the man uninteresting had been part of the plan, lest the gods figure out he was someone to keep an eye on and interfere before Mithra, who fashioned himself 'The God of Light' was ready, but Eli had been far more flawed than necessary, and yet he'd accomplished the task. He'd angered Ares just enough to get himself killed, and in doing so, sparking a full blown rebellion against the gods.

"Yes, Elia and his 'shish kabobing'," Dr. Naadiah clarified, using the words Ares had written down in his list. She assumed Ares stabbed the man, but was otherwise coming at this blind. She still refused to watch tapes from the multiple TV series all this was recreated in, as not to draw conclusions about her patient. Part of this therapy was in the doctor learning about the patient's challenges and triumphs as they relived them. If she watched some dramatized version of a part of Ares' life, that experience might be dulled and compromise his therapy. That she was unwilling to risk.

"Thanks to Christians and Muslims burning most everything about his cult that they could get their hands on, you wouldn't know much about him from a historical perspective, but to give the sanctimonious stooge his due, Eli was the inventor of the technique your people refer to as 'passive resistance'. After having worked as a traveling magician in India for a few years, he discovered that he had actual healing powers, and upon returning home to what is modern day Turkey, he started a movement to disobey the gods and desecrate our temples. As I'd never dealt with this particular response to a divine cease and desist before, I stabbed him in order to put an end to his growing influence, only to turn him into a martyr and set Xena and her friends against the Olympian order. After that, she had no desire to find any sort of compromise that saw my family survive and continue our lives as gods. Eli had been a friend of hers and Blondie's and though she claimed that her fight was all about religious tolerance and protecting her child, the truth was she wanted my people dead, as payment for my having slain Eli," Ares summarized, guilt creeping up in inside of him. While he acknowledged that both Xena and Athena had been unrelenting and inflexible, he still blamed himself for have set Xena off in the first place, and he'd often wondered what would have happened if he'd let the whiny little preacher continue his tantrum against the evil gods unharmed. If he was reading his therapist correctly, he'd soon find out.

"And yet you still loved her, through all of it," Dr. Naadiah commented, the hint of a question wrapped inside.

"Always. I was angry at her for choosing to invest so much passion into avenging such a weak fool and, admittedly, fearful of dying, but I never stopped loving her, before, during, or after the Twilight. Her coming into my life was the best thing that ever happened to me, even after all we went through and all I lost as a result," Ares stated succinctly, more sure of Xena's value to him than of anything else he'd ever known.

"So then, what will you do differently this time?" Dr. Naadiah asked, not interested in debating Ares' on that score. Truthfully there was nothing to debate. Ares along had the final say in what the best thing to ever happen to him was, and at this point in his life, it was Xena. That might one day change, or it might not.

"I'm not going to let Eli provoke me, that's for sure. It was like he knew just where to strike, where all my insecurities were. Heck, he even knew how I felt about Xena, though I barely understood it myself, and he intentionally riled me up in order to get me to kill him. Xena was right; I played right into his hands. This time, no matter what he says, I'm going to either remain calm or just stay away from him all together. Let him throw his little fit. I won't get suckered into fighting out of fear. Eli was very insightful for a mortal; he told his followers that all fear was the fear of loss. So, I figure, if I don't allow that fear to control me, neither will he, and in time his peace cult will crack up as so many had done before and since," Ares planned, two thousand years of dealing with this type of protest had given him the know how to deal with this form of protest. Eli might have been the first, but he wasn't the last, and Ares had learned a few counter measures since then.

Nodding his head, he mentally prepared himself for the trip back. He had to outwit Eli this time, and then he'd find a way to work with Xena to protect both Eve and his family. There had to be some middle ground for them, as they eventually found a balance before she dragged Blondie off to Japa. By the gods, how that memory still hurt! Even knowing he'd one day get a chance to change it didn't diminish the pain. But that regret would be worked on in a future session; Dr. Naadiah had given her word. He had to focus on Eli today.

Dr. Naadiah considered this response before pushing forward for clarification.

"And what about Xena? You mentioned that this Eli set her against the Olympian gods…"

"Up until that point, Xena didn't particularly like the gods, but she tolerated most of them. Blondie and Dite were good friends, and my sister and Xena usually got along as well. Hades and his sister, Celesta, had a good working relationship with the Warrior Princess, as she'd helped them out of a few minds and she'd called in a few favors over the years. Really there were very few gods who'd she'd go out of her way to kill before Eli died, so if I don't harm Eli I doubt that will change. She already hated me at that point. Considering some of the things I did to her over the years, she had a right to, but she never truly wanted to harm me or my family till Eli died in Gabrielle's arms. That's what sent her off the deep end," Ares replied, remembering that Xena had been all over this regret.

Yet, he knew he could resist her baiting him as well. Giving in was a death sentence for Athena, Hephaestus, Discord, and some others he'd cared about. Giving in had ensured he and his parents would never reconcile. Giving in had cost him his temples and his place in the world. He was still the God of War, but there was no glory in it anymore. Mortals thought him a myth, and yet he worked as tirelessly as he ever had. He'd been born to the job and Xena had restored him to it when he'd given up his godhood. It had never really been a choice, but at least before the Twilight and the rise of Mithra's faiths, there had been major perks. Perhaps if he resisted well enough he could regain some of that. Even if all he did was get Xena to just stop and think about what she was doing and what the consequences of her actions would be beyond Eve and Blondie, it would be a major victory.

"Alright then. I wish you luck in not stabbing someone to death," Dr. Naadiah quipped, sharing a brief smile with her patient before sending him on his way.

As Ares opened his eyes, he heard Xena's voice. "He was going to hit you with his hanky?"

Placing the moment, Ares fought the urge to materialize. This was the point where he'd discovered she was cooking Eve and had started going off the rails himself. He'd been so jealous and so hurt, believing that she'd conceived the child with another man, possibly even his mongrel half brother, that he'd not even considered how he'd handle the situation, and she'd lured him into divulging too much. Once Xena suspected the Twilight was near, she'd had to investigate the situation further and that had really started things moving in the wrong direction. This time he was going to think things through, so he stayed hidden. She'd still escort Eli's followers back to him, but it would be no more than that.

As difficult as it would likely be, wrestling with his feelings over the next few days events, he knew he had no choice. Since his last session a little over a week ago, he'd been thinking about Athena a lot. He'd seen her at her best then, and a part of him refused to accept things had to end the way they had. Athena's death was high on his list of regrets, number 4 or 5 if he remembered correctly. He'd get his shot at it one day, but perhaps if he was careful here, he might tweak things in his older sister's favor when that time came. Turning his attention back to the screen in front of him, Ares materialized a black, leather sofa and began to watch more intently.

Just over an hour later, Ares was watching Eli preach that the gods were able to know love and thus were unable to defend themselves against it. In his mind's eye, he could still see the corpses of Discord and Hephaestus' splayed out on the beach, a beach that would never again know Poseidon's protection as he'd been dissolved one final time into his watery home moments earlier. Love hadn't done that. The woman he loved had. Xena had always known more about love than her buddy Eli ever had, including how to use it as a weapon. Yet in the end it had been that peacenik freak and his god that had won. Xena had lost most of Eve's childhood anyway, and he'd lost most of his family and the world they'd built.

Shaking off his malaise, Ares refocused on the action as Xena and Gabrielle came into view and embraced Eli. Xena had asked if Eli's followers were getting the right message, and Eli claimed that they weren't fighting a war of violence but a war of peace, earning Xena's sceptical questioning of how such a concept was supposed to work. Just that simple question made Ares heart swell with pride. She hadn't yet been brainwashed. She knew something didn't add up.

"War of love, yeah right," snorted Discord as she popped in beside Ares, who didn't bother looking up.

He didn't need her problems right now. He was trying to save her life, but of course, he couldn't tell her that. "What do you want, Discord?"

"I want to know what you plan to do about this creep?! His cultists just stormed into your temple and are burning your weapons! Aren't you going to fry them? Can I do it?!" Discord requested impishly, the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth as she rubbed her palms together in anticipation of what she'd like to do to the mortals on the screen.

"Ah, you do remember the god providing Eli with his juju his Dahok's twin, right?" Ares returned incredulously. She'd been one of the first ones panicking over Dahok's rise a few years before this, and now she was looking to challenge a god that was at least as powerful. Obviously surviving that threat had emboldened his young Goddess of Retribution and she was foolishly looking to exercise her new powers on the followers of Mithra's lackey.

Suddenly seeing Ares point, Discord slumped back against the sofa cushions. "Admittedly that sucks, but we have to do something."

"Doing something is what Eli wants. We attack, we prove his point. We kill him and we make him a martyr. No, dealing with this god requires a defter touch," Ares responded, looking to his youngest sister to see if she was listening.

As usual, she wasn't. She heard him, but she wasn't even making an attempt to understand. "What do you mean by 'a defter touch'?"

"A mortal touch. This war has to be fought mortal against mortal. The more we intervene, the weaker we appear, to both sides. No, Eli and his god want to alter mankind's way of life beyond just eliminating us. That's where we have to strike, at their own self interest. We need to demonstrate our value to them, along with all they have to loose without us," .Ares summarized. That was as far as he was going to explain to the petite goddess sitting beside him. Anything more and he'd start sounding far too reasonable for the Ares of this time, and that might draw the other gods' attention towards him.

Reminded of one of his previous sessions, where Discord had brought Gabrielle back to Britannia after he'd sent her home to Greece to keep her out of Dahok's clutches, Ares decided to be blunt with his maliciously-minded sister as to ensure she didn't get in his way this time. "You are to stay away from Eli. You are not to move against him. You are not to convince mortals to move against him, or other gods for that matter. If I even hear that you even breathed the same air as him, Tartarus will look like a fun time compared to what I will do to you! Do you understand?!"

"Yeah, sure Ares. Whatever you say; you're the boss," Discord replied, raising her hands in surrender as the ground shook beneath their feet.

While she might not comprehend what he was talking about, but she could obey him out of fear. With Discord that was often the best he could hope for.

Once the young goddess had finally left, Ares returned to the screen, only to find Eli stuffing his face with Gabrielle yacking away at his side. Xena had left to confront his temple army; he had to get to them first. Despite what he'd told Discord, he wasn't going to allow his followers to attack Eli or his followers until Xena and her friend had moved on. Yes, this war had to be mortal on mortal, but with Xena, mortal was a relative term.


	2. Chapter 2

Authoress' Note: This story begins in November of 2001, several months after the events of 'Soul Possession'.

P.S. While you have to be familiar with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to read this story, you don't need as much background on 'Being Erica' to follow along. In that series, Erica Strange, a 31-year-old woman living in Toronto in 2009, undergoes the same time travel therapy featured in this story, in order to learn from her regrets over her past choices. While Erica's doctor is Dr. Tom, the therapist featured in 'Being Ares', Dr. Naadiah, appeared in a handful of 'Being Erica' episodes and was once Dr. Tom's therapist and his mentor during the series. In short, 'Being Erica' lends its premise and a few of its characters, but this is first and foremost a Hercules: The Legendary Journeys / Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic.

 **Being Ares:** **Enduring Freedom**

 **Part** **2**

A Xena: Warrior Princess / Being Erica Crossover

By Arianwen P. F. Everett

Xena scouted the bridge to Pylos, waiting for Ares' temple army to arrive. Then she felt it, the God of War himself about to make an appearance. Turning her sword on him, she was slightly taken back by the way he'd materialized with a sheepish expression on his face, with his hands raised in surrender. "Sorry. False alarm. My priests were a bit overzealous after hearing of the temple in Pylos being overrun, but I've sent them back to the temple, mostly in one piece. Eli's not on my agenda today, so.. sorry to drag you out here, especially with the baby and all."

"Oh come on, Ares; you can't expect me to believe that you're just going to allow those people in Pylos to raid your temple without any sort of retribution!" Xena scoffed, rolling her eyes at Ares attempt to lull her into standing down.

"Believe what you will, Xena, but that's how I've decided to play this. I'm reinforcing my other temples, so if Eli and his followers try this little stunt again, they'll definitely will bleed for it. However, I'm willing to concede this round to your friend. After all, the war has just begun and I'm sure there will be some decent carnage down the line for both of us to enjoy," Ares replied calmly, pulling his spine rigid like Athena always did when she sought to impress upon her lesser siblings how much smarter she was. Unable to suppress a final smirk, Ares disappeared as quickly as he came, leaving Xena perplexed.

Yet Ares had called it a war, and there was no standing around, picking at your navel when at war. You were alert or you were dead. Taking one final look at the pass and the silently swinging rope bridge, Xena turned around and headed back to Pylos. Eli might understand what Ares was doing, even if she didn't.

As Ares returned to Olympus, he felt good. He and Xena had managed to converse with relative civility, and in the end, she'd been the one left grasping. However he couldn't slow down, not if he wanted to change the ultimate outcome of things. While he'd already figured out that altering the past wasn't the point of therapy, he'd also seen first hand that it was possible with Evander and Minthe, and if it had been possible then, this might change as well. Still, he'd made a commitment and today's regret involved his dealings with Eli.

Already he'd resisted taking the bait when Eli and his followers had sacked his temple. The first time, he'd been too afraid of Mithra crushing him to move against his chosen, but Ares had since learned how to cope with the fear of death. Mithra wouldn't have that card to play, as Eli would soon be told by Xena, so the question now was what move Eli would make in its absence. Thinking to the practitioners of passive resistance still to come, Ares concluded that Eli would have his cultists take another temple, just not one of his. He was looking for his Bull Conner to come out with the billy clubs, fire hoses, and vicious German shepherds. Ares had refused to rise to the challenge, but that didn't mean other gods wouldn't. Honestly, most of the Olympians would, which meant he needed allies.

Athena was out. When he'd started to catch on to the God of Light's game, he'd warned her, but she'd accused him of thinking with his codpiece and had refused to consider his point of view. Other than Aphrodite, her besotted husband, and loyal son there weren't any gods that he could rally quickly enough to make a difference, and those three just didn't have the pull. What's more Zeus would get involved if they all started making a stink about it, and he surely wouldn't listen to his son's advice. He'd probably do what Ares, himself, had done, only with a lightening bolt, and that would get them nowhere. Besides, he was off second-honeymooning with Hera at the moment and wouldn't take too kindly to Ares showing up, claiming that the Twilight was near and that his family was in the cross hairs of the God of Light. Despite what they'd gone through not two years prior, most of the residents of Mount Olympus had splintered into their own enclaves and once again stuck their heads in the clouds. They'd forgotten the lessons Dahok's threat should have instilled in them, and he was just as screwed as ever. Growling impotently, Ares went outside to throw some fireballs and think. He needed to save his family from their own over-reactions, and he had only three days to do it in.

"Things not going well?" Dr. Naadiah's soft voice asked as he took a short respite from throwing fireballs.

"Oh you could say that! Once again, my idiot family is too self absorbed to see the forest for the trees and once again I'm the one roaring at the top of my lungs to get them off their collective asses!" Ares shouted to make his point as another fireball was let loose, making Naadiah cringe slightly as the debris fell only a few feet away from her fragile, mortal frame.

"And yet you keep roaring for all your worth," Dr. Naadiah prompted with admiration. Ares was a true fighter, and not just the god, but the man as well. She respected his constant effort, even when his intended ends violated everything she believed in personally.

"Not to roar is to surrender, and if I'm I'm gonna go out, it will be like Athena, with a sword in my hand, not conceding to that halfwit, Eli!" Ares grated, double-handing his fire this time as the frustration redoubled at the mere mention of the pacifist's name.

"It makes sense. You're the God of War, after all, but perhaps you're roaring to the wrong audience. You said it yourself, this situation is about mortals, the path to victory in playing to human self interest, and yet you're trying to figure out a way to appeal to your divine relatives for assistance," Dr. Naadiah countered, gently steering the conversation while letting Ares adapted to the idea she was presenting.

"Peace is in the self interest of most mortals. Only those with power, who are insulated from the consequences of war, seek it out voluntarily. All in all, Eli's message is far more attractive, even if in the long term it's wrong," Ares explained, feeling some of the frustration ease. A part of him worried that Dr. Naadiah was becoming a crutch, but he knew he needed that crutch right now. He didn't completely understand her process yet, but it reminded him of an occupying force training the local population to defend and govern themselves when their conquerors withdrew and went home. To what end his occupation and retraining served, Ares was still in the dark, but despite his weaknesses now, he could see himself beginning to understand his therapist's reasoning, and that kept him moving forward.

"How so?" Dr. Naadiah queried, pushing towards the understanding she could see a hint of on the horizon. Ares understood the weaknesses of the God of Light's idea of peace, but he was used to undermining that idea through violence and shows of hard power. As he'd pointed out multiple times, those tactics, including his stabbing of Eli, were counterproductive. He could appreciate the flaws of his old way of doing things clearly enough. Now he needed to work out the new way.

"Too much of Eli's brand of peace breeds stagnation and corruption. Mortals like to think that if there were no more wars, everything would just fall into place, but what they don't realize is that there are always bad apples waiting to fleece the flock, to push their agenda or to exploit the peaceful majority for their own enrichment. These individuals thrive in peace time. War, or even just simple conflict, can expose the rot. Take for example the way Xena and Blondie finally saw through Mithra's propaganda. Caligula, yes that Caligula, tried to make himself a god by siphoning off Aphrodite's powers when she was at her most vulnerable. This, and his truly amazing orgies of blood and sex, created an adversary for the God of Eli, to which the Archangel Micheal responded by attempting to kill my mentally fragile sister in order to break the connection between her and that freaky little Roman. Seeing a being she'd trusted to be an agent of peace and the betterment of human kind standing over her good friend, Aphrodite, about to behead her when she lay delirious and vulnerable, finally showed Xena Mithra's true agenda, control not peace," Ares illustrated, a savagely proud smile gracing his full lips.

"You find this amusing?" Dr. Naadiah asked, trying to keep judgement out of her voice. Still, from what Ares was describing, his sister had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a psychopath who'd been using her to become a god, and then nearly beheaded by an Archangel bent on preventing any competing religions to his god's from forming. She couldn't reconcile this with the playful, yet protective relationship she'd seen between the God of War and the Goddess of Love just over a week ago.

Suddenly understanding where Dr. Naadiah's confusion stemmed from, Ares quickly explained. "Not what happened to Dite, no, never. She's still uneasy about discussing what happened to her back then, and if you remember, stopping Caligula before he starts in on her is on my regrets list back in your office. But the way Xena resolved the crisis, how she kicked Micheal's smug ass, then held his head under water, asking him where angels went when they died; that was priceless! She'd found her way back and saved Dite and I in the process. Albeit we were both mortal after that, but we were alive and together, and Xena was powerful and whole. That was what made me smile."

"You all survived and were stronger for it, and now you want to ensure the rest of your family comes through as well," Dr. Naadiah surmised, now understanding why this memory held more affection than horror, but still needing to get Ares back to dealing with Eli, rather than the God of Light and his winged servants.

"Mithra was waging a genocide. I didn't understand that until I saw mortals take to the practice several times during the 20th century, but that was his goal; he wanted everyone of my race permanently out of his way. My stabbing of Eli gave him what he needed to move forward with that campaign. It brought Xena and a large enough number of mortals to his cause. From there it was all down hill and sheer luck that his strategy eventually turned on him in Rome. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have lived to meet you, and the rest of my family would be just as dead," Ares concluded, hating the fear that was seeping back into him. Once again he was fighting the Twilight, and once again, he was afraid. Centering himself, he pushed back the fear, refusing to submit to it. That fear had cost greater Olympians their lives. He wouldn't join them when there was a still a chance to both live and change all of their fates if he could just square this nasty little circle.

"So how does not stabbing Eli change things?" Dr. Naadiah asked, understanding the importance of Ares concerns, but knowing that they could only lead him down a road that wouldn't help him.

"I won't, hence my frustration and the fireballs," Ares returned, gesturing to the debris at the base of a plateau beneath his balcony.

"Perhaps you need to speak with Eli himself. Explain the situation, find that compromise you originally sought with Xena," Dr. Naadiah proposed, knowing how humbling such a thing would be for the God of War.

After a moment Ares sighed in resignation. There were many ways to fight a war, and sometimes retreat offered the best chance for victory in the future. Truth was that while he missed all the benefits of being a god, he'd learned to live without them. Living without some of his family members, living without Xena, those were harder to accept. He seriously doubted the zealous Eli would accept any sort of truce, or that his god would allow him to accept, but a ceasefire might buy him and his relations the time they needed to get their acts together. "Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt, but I reserve the right to plan ahead. I'm not going into that parley without a Plan B, not with so much at stake."

"That's completely reasonable," Dr. Naadiah concluded, hoping Ares was wrong and this Eli was open to negotiation. The idea of genocide had initially struck her as hyperbolic, but the more she turned over the events she knew of, it might be accurate. If so, then it meant that people all over the world stepped into churches, synagogues, and mosques, thinking they were worshiping a god of peace, when in reality, they were praying to a brainwashing, genocidal, mass murder. All her life, she'd believed that it was his followers that partook in that sort of violence and destruction, but now she wasn't so sure, and considering that her own brothers worshiped that god still, she didn't know how to react. One thing was for certain, she'd speak with Dr. Arthur about it after Ares returned to the present.

Twenty minutes later, Ares appeared outside the home Eli had accepted shelter in. Grumbling under his breath, he knocked, waiting for entrance. Finally, after a few agonizingly humiliating seconds of waiting, Gabrielle opened the door and scowled at him. "What do you want, Ares?"

"I've come to parlay with Eli. Please inform him that I've arrived and wish to speak with him," Ares returned, taking on the same conversational tone he'd used with Mattie over two thousand years from now. He'd been forced to adopt this formalized speech in the halls of the Pentagon several decades ago, and truth be told, he still hated every minute of it. War wasn't meant to be a business, and yet, at the dawn of the 21st century, it had turned into one. That, in and of itself, could depress him if he thought on it too much. Admittedly, the stunned look on Blondie's face at his declaration made him feel a little bit better.

Recovering quickly, Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest and blocked the center of the doorway. "Eli doesn't want anything…"

"It's alright, Gabrielle. Ares just wants to talk. Let him in," Eli interrupted, searching Ares eyes for something. He understood the concept of body language, and had learned to control his own so well that he competed in professional poker tournaments from time to time, but Ares could tell Eli was looking for something else, or at something else only he could see. It was unnerving, but Ares held firm, refusing to make it easy for the proto-hippie across the room.

Eventually Eli gave him a small smile and gestured towards the large pot of soup at the center of the table, and the little bowls of bread around it. "Would you like something to eat. We have plenty."

"Thank you. I've recently taken up eating as a hobby. So getting down to it, I'm interested in knowing why you and you followers decided to sack my temple earlier this morning?" Ares questioned while half filling a bowl with soup and grabbing a spoon and a small, seeded roll. He knew asking Eli to speak in private would make him appear weak, and nothing riled up a social reformer like a calm, rational adversary speaking in a warm, open tone.

"Sack? We merely took back what belonged to the people of this town. After all, that temple was built by the hands of these people's ancestors," Eli responded, matching Ares conversational tone.

"And those ancestors chose to dedicated that temple to me. I remember one of this town's founders, a man named Broderius, allocated the land and commissioned the masons. He was very devoted to me after I counseled him on challenging his neighbor in Andos, and after winning the battle, he built me that temple as a gift, to say thank you. Thus your seizing it earlier was indeed sacking," Ares returned, dipping his spoon into the soup and taking up a mouthful as soon as he'd finished speaking. Sadly the bean-based concoction was only so-so, but he smiled and nodded to the elderly woman who'd obviously cooked it.

"Be that as it may, it stands as a monument to violence and destruction. While those in the past may have chosen to honor your ways, those living today have rejected them," Eli countered, hardening his words just a bit more to show the strength of his argument.

"Really, than why did my priests in Andos, at the other temple Broderius had built for me, need to inform me that nine of my servants from Pylos showed up on their doorstep, having been forced from their home shortly after sunrise by a mob of your followers?" Ares quizzed, matching Eli in tone, and refusing to concede his point. Everyone else at the table, including Gabrielle, were turning their heads back and forth as he and Eli verbally sparred, and for a moment, Ares saw a spark of uncertainty in his host's eyes, as if he'd overplayed his hand by inviting him to join them for dinner.

"They refused to allow my people to take the weapons for burning, so regrettably they had to be moved out of the building," Eli answered, holding himself slightly more erect, as if he felt a bit threatened by the God of War's words, which was exactly what Ares desired.

"So what you're saying is that your people sacked my temple, but spared my priests and priestess? My question was why? Why stoop to stealing when you can erect your own temple to peace? Is it a matter of land? I'm sure if the people of Pylos are as devout as you claim they'd manage to find find the time, energy, and resources to build a new temple," Ares rebutted, driving the verbal dagger in deep.

"And you would just accept a competing temple in Pylos without trying to burn it down? Really?" Gabrielle broke in with incredulity, wanting to pull attention off of Eli. She could see the surprise Ares' statement about choosing theft over building their own temple producing a small seed of doubt in some of Eli's dinner guests and she sought to nip it in the bud before it could take root and bring the kind of trouble for Eli that Ares obviously had in mind by the look on his face.

"Gabrielle, do you remember a few months back when Mavican attempted to kill you in order to get Xena's attention, how she started damaging Demeter's temple in the process? What did I say? What did I say about destroying the temple of another god?" Ares questioned, forcing Gabrielle on the defensive. Working with JAG officers over the years, he'd learned how to direct a proper interrogation, and now he'd turned the uncomfortable lighting and wobbly chair on the golden-haired bard.

Gabrielle shook her head before rebutting. "That was different. Demeter is your aunt. The God of Light…"

"Is a god who claims to want peace. Is that all a lie, or do you practice what you preach, Eli? Look, while as God of War I respect your desire to burn and pillage, I really do, but I won't stand by while my temples are destroyed in another god's name. I told Xena as much when I ordered my temple army to turn around and go home. They didn't exactly have my approval when they marched and will be punished accordingly. Move against me or mine again and I won't hold my followers back. I'm sure you'd all agree they have a right to defend their religious freedom too," Ares explained, popping the final bite of the seeded loaf into his mouth and washed the dry bread down with the weak wine on offer. It was humble food for humble people. He'd been one of them for nearly two years, and eating the fare on offer at Eli's table, he was once again grateful to Xena for having restored his godhood.

"So it finally comes around to threats," Gabrielle retorted before Eli could get a word in.

"Not from me; I'm not threatening anyone. However, the mortals that serve me aren't exactly the most nuanced and most of them have only one way of expressing their discontentment. For now I'm keeping them in check, as a responsible god does, but if you insist on attacking their god, I might not be able to contain their response. What can I saw? Mortals have their own mind. Oh what am I saying, you may not be a god, but you have followers, Eli; surely you know how it is," Ares commented, shrugging his shoulders as if he were discussing a force of nature that could not be contained. Truth was, there was a lot that could be done, but Ares wanted to make his point in front of Eli's people. He wouldn't attack them, but his followers might of their own volition.

"I do. Well, you've made your point abundantly clear, so allow me to make mine. For centuries the gods have treated this world as their personal playground, without showing the slightest bit of remorse when their games took away the homes and dignity of the people who'd lived there. I'm sorry if your priests and priestesses were inconvenienced when we took over the temple, but there are far more important things at stake than convenience. We're fighting for a better world for all mankind; some people won't like that, but it has to be done. I understand that you want to protect your worshipers. That's admirable, but it won't stop what we have created here in Pylos. The Olympians' days are numbered. If you want to help your people. Help them to make peace with that," Eli stated firmly, with a regal finality Ares had to respect. He couldn't deny Mithra's chief stooge was a consummate con man.

However, so was Ares when he needed to be, and attracted everyone's attention with a round of applause. "Bravo, Eli, bravo! I've heard that same speech come out of the mouths of thousands of warlords over the centuries, but you Eli, you've put a unique spin on it. You almost had me believing that you cared for the people you'd be displacing and the safety of those whose blood would become spilled in your god's name. Seriously, I thought Xena was good back in the day, but well done, Eli. Well done!"

Before Eli could get another word in, Ares turned to Gabrielle and nudged her shoulder with his elbow in a move meant to provoke the blonde into taking over the room and giving their host no time to rebut his claims. It was a low blow, but then Gabrielle had lobbed her fair share his way over the years, and Eli had just proven he couldn't be negotiated with, even if it brought peace and saved lives. If they were both so bent on destroying his people, they could both choke on their hipocrisy as far as Ares was concerned. "He's way better than Krafstar, was, isn't he? Admittedly, Krafstar had more of a way with the ladies, but this guy's overall message..."

Sensing Gabrielle was about to blow her top, Ares braced for the punch she'd throw, only to stare blankly at the young woman he'd known for centuries. "Eli is nothing like Krafstar! Dahok was a monster! The God of Light…"

"Is what? What do you really know about this God of Light you're so devoted to now? Do you know where he comes from? What his objectives are? Do you even know his name, Gabrielle?! Oh, I know you've spent some time in heaven and hell, and you've met Micheal and a few of this god's other lackeys, but beyond that, what makes you so confident that you're dealing with a god you can trust and not just a more clever version of Dahok and his cult?" Ares spat out vehemently, not loosing his temper, but appearing to for the crowd's sake.

He'd already made peace with this particular blind spot in Gabrielle's character after he'd saved her from being raped and impregnated by the One Great Evil on his second session with Dr. Naadiah, and he now understood that the blonde's terrible choices in where to invest her devotion were not his to meddle with, nor his to take responsibility for. Somehow, that understanding had removed the infuriation that had previously accompanied these memories, yet he could tell by the colors Blondie's face was turning, along with the way Mattie had treated him back in 2001, that she was far less reconciled and didn't know how to handle his questions, much less provide a reasonable sounding answer.

Gabrielle didn't know what to day and her mouth hung open as the usually skilled orator struggled for a reply.

"You might just want to think about that before you sign up for this crusade, Blondie. You all might. Thank you, Eli, for having me at your table; I appreciate your hospitality," Ares finished before nodding to his host and flashing out of the room in his trademark blue light.

Once Ares had returned to rooms on Mount Olympus, he looked out over the balcony at the rocky landscape below. Throwing more energy around was tempting, but he knew it wouldn't be productive. He'd tried to get Eli and his people to think their actions through, to see that the big, bad gods were not the only threat they faced in this world and that their new god might just be as bad as those that came before him, if not worse. Yet for all the successful points he'd made, he knew that they weren't convinced. They might be a bit more hesitant for a few days, but in the end Eli would calm their doubts and move his army forward. Once he'd discovered his powers and gained some self confidence, the man had been a natural leader. Ares had to take him down, or his army might still rise, even if he lived past the next two days.

Thankfully, Ares knew how to take down a religious figure like Eli without violence, and the irony of whose help he'd be needing wasn't lost on him. In a way, he kind of owed her. Locating her at one of her favorite haunts, Ares teleported in quietly, slightly amused at the tangle of human flesh she was buried in. Even Aphrodite didn't have such raw talent for the raunchy. "Discord!"

Jumping at the sound of her name bellowed across the stone corridors of the abandoned castle she used for her pleasures, Discord quickly pulled herself out of the mass of naked men undulating over her, and smoothed out her hair and clothing. "Get up and wait outside, boys. This should only take a minute.. unless you want to join in, Ares."

"Sorry, not my scene, but I'm afraid you'll have to postpone this little get together. We have work to do tonight. I've finally figured out how to deal with Eli and his mob, and I'm going to need your.. network.. to pull it off," Ares replied, amused by the offer, but refusing to show it. He'd missed her these past few centuries, not as much as he'd missed Strife, but admittedly there was a missing piece of him that bore her name. It felt good to work together again, if only for a few days.

"What you have in mind?" Discord questioned, the mixture of bloodlust and mischief he'd always associated with her coming to the foreground as she sought details.

Smiling wide with the happiness he knew his youngest sister be given with his next few words, he met her expectant eyes and purred. "An army of whores, My Dear. We need an army of your most skilled whores."


	3. Chapter 3

Authoress' Note: This story begins in November of 2001, several months after the events of 'Soul Possession'.

P.S. - While you have to be familiar with Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess to read this story, you don't need as much background on 'Being Erica' to follow along. In that series, Erica Strange, a 31-year-old woman living in Toronto in 2009, undergoes the same time travel therapy featured in this story, in order to learn from her regrets over her past choices. While Erica's doctor is Dr. Tom, the therapist featured in 'Being Ares', Dr. Naadiah, appeared in a handful of 'Being Erica' episodes and was once Dr. Tom's therapist and his mentor during the series. In short, 'Being Erica' lends its premise and a few of its characters, but this is first and foremost a Hercules: The Legendary Journeys / Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic.

P.P.S - I'm sorry this chapter took over a year and a half to post, but I was really lost in terms of where the story was going. Being Ares (like Being Erica) is about the main character's personal development while reexamining their own history, so each story in the series must include a lesson for Ares, and sometimes others Xenaverse and Being Erica characters, to learn. I had the lesson for this story, but I couldn't figure out a way to teach it, until I reread the third addition to the Being Ares series and decided to give the minor character of Minthe a more important role in this series.

Just for those Greek Mythology buffs, Minthe was a nymph and former girlfriend of Hades who didn't take his kidnapping and marriage to Persephone well. She's also the goddess of garden mint, otherwise known as spearmint. In the Being Ares universe, however, she ends up in the underworld by dying as a child during the War of the Titans, only to be saved from that fate when Ares and Aphrodite go back in time and rescue her, as her death was one of Ares regrets. Since she didn't die when Ares and Aphrodite were still kids, as of late 2001, she's all grown up, living on Mount Olympus, and close in age to both the God of War and Goddess of Love.

 **Being Ares:** **Enduring Freedom**

 **Part** **3**

A Xena: Warrior Princess / Being Erica Crossover

By Arianwen P. F. Everett

"An army of whores?!" Aphrodite repeated incredulously, looking to Ares, then to her son, Cupid, then back to her dark and dangerous older brother.

"Yep," Ares replied, letting the sound pop from his mouth. The look on his sister's face was priceless and his nephew appeared to be fighting to control a fit of laughter.

"Isn't it totally brilliant! I was sceptical at first myself, but Ares explained it to me and now I have to say it's his best plan ever, hands down!" Discord raved, barely able to contain her glee at the prospect Ares had dangled before her.

"Okay, please explain how this is gonna put that tunic-happy mortal trying to crash my love-gig in his place, cause I'm not seeing it," Aphrodite insisted, shaking her head as if doing so would bring comprehension. If it were anyone but Ares, she'd think this was a joke, but the Studmuffin of War didn't joke about his own turf, at least not like this. He was serious, and working his war mojo on a level Aphrodite couldn't even begin to fathom.

"It's actually not very complicated. The prostitutes' presence will disrupt Eli's cult from the inside, yet he won't be able to expel them. These women are not soldiers and many of his most devoted followers are drawn to his message due to his forgiveness of past wrongs. So long as they don't become violent, Xena and Blondie won't be able to do a damn thing about them either, yet with his men listening to his sermons by day and slipping into these women's bedrolls at night, Eli won't be able to keep order. Fights will break out, his female followers will feel uncomfortable and unsafe in Pylos, and the town will degrade into chaos. We can work with chaos. Eli won't be able to cope," Ares explained, letting his relatives get the full picture.

"Why not just let me go to town on this.. town, Uncle Ar? I'll have them whipped up into a passionate frenzy before this Eli can say 'abstinence'," Cupid offered, twirling one of his passion-tipped arrows between his fingers like he was leading a marching band.

"Because this has to be a mortal on mortal fight, at least that's what Ares says," Discord answered, rolling her eyes at the idea. She didn't understand why they all needed to remain so passive, but she had to admit that Ares seemed to know what he was doing.

"Right. If the people of Pylos believe we used our powers to break up their little peace fest, we've proved Eli's point and he now has more ammunition to use against us. No, mortals must be at the heart of this campaign if it's to succeed. It has to be their own desire for more than Eli and his god can offer that wins the day," Ares expounded, hoping that at some point his family would catch on.

Passive resistance and counter-protest ops were centuries more advanced that what gods or mortals had in their arsenals at this moment, and he had to give mankind props for that. They'd exceeded himself, Athena, and even Zeus in their zeal for new and improved ways to overcome their professed love of peace. No wonder he was merely an adviser and facilitator in 2001.

However, a part of him worried he'd eventually become obsolete, even in those limited roles, and he had no idea what would happen to him afterwards. Would he just drift away into nothingness? Would he suddenly stop and crumble to the ground lifeless, to have his shell burned by whatever gods remained? Would he become mortal and live out the rest of his days in that reduced state as he'd once thought he was cursed to after giving up his godhood to save Eve and Gabrielle? The truth was he had no idea what came next, but he couldn't worry about all of that now. There was still a war to fight here in the past and more bloodshed to accomplish hand-in-hand with the mortals of the 21st century. For the time being, he still had a purpose for existing, and that was good enough for him.

Aphrodite began to see some of what her brother was suggesting, but she needed more detail and why he and Discord needed the help of the Goddess of Love and her son. "Okay, so we send the whores in to ply their trade…"

Ares gently cut his sister off before she went any further. "We can't just have them go in there and work as they normally would. Many men don't visit prostitutes voluntarily, especially once they've found religion. Now, I know that many of the.. ladies worship at your temples, Dite, and that's where you come in. You and Cupid need to stir them up, to remind that that not only will each of them be making two or three times their usual rate, but they'll be serving their gods and helping to keep the the world free of sexually repressed zealots so they can continue plying their trade for years to come."

"Basically, we want you guys to sing the war song," Discord added, remembering the joke Ares had used in his initial explanation. Damn if he wasn't as funny as he was sexy, and for the ten millionth time in the past decade, she cursed the day the Warrior Princess was born.

"Sing the war song? Very cool," Cupid commented, nodding as he understood their meaning. His uncle finally seemed to understand the power of passion and Cupid had to wonder where he'd gotten this insight. It was no secret that the God of War had fallen head over heels for the Warrior Princess and was struggling to win her affection with no success. He'd even admitted his feelings a few years back on Sisyphus' island and then again, when he'd convinced a few of the other gods to help him keep Dahok from entering the world. Yet for all Ares' actions on the Warrior Princess' behalf, he seemed no closer to winning her heart.

Yet none of that explained where his uncle had gained his greater insight into how mortals reacted to love or what it could push them into doing. Ares loved as a god and yet he had mortal wisdom as well. Whatever the cause, Cupid now understood where his uncle was coming from. Sexual passion was seductive and impulsive, and Eli's god, Mithra, was a god of order and obedience. The two were mutually incompatible, so he and his mother singing the war song to a bunch of prostitutes tasked with bringing chaos into Pylos was the appropriate choice. Cupid just hoped his rhetorical skills were up to the task. Giving speeches had never been his forte, as his bow and arrow did half his job for him.

"So you pay the whores in advance; Cupie and I give them a pep talk, and then we send them on their way," Aphrodite summarized, earning her a nod from her brother.

"Right. They'll enter Pylos in small groups of two or three over the course of several days. Eli will likely have his people ask them to leave once it becomes clear what's happening. These women must refuse to comply and insist that they have a right to be in the town and that the only way they'll leave is if the people of Pylos use force. Eli can't afford to do so. He knows very well it won't matter who harms the women, his cult will get the blame, which means he'll also refuse Xena and Blondie's offers of violence as well. Of course he'll try to convert our army, but even if he gets half of them on his side, the remainder will crush his movement merely by sticking around and doing their job," Ares detailed, wanting everyone on the same page. He was in his element, having learned how to pitch such a mission to CEO's and bureaucrats years ago. Heck, he'd even become a visiting lecturer at military academies, teaching classes on breaking up protest movements without using direct force.

"Yes Sir!" Aphrodite snapped with false solemnity, making Cupid and Discord laugh.

Ares, however, wasn't amused and could only see the pain of loosing her beloved 'Hephie' and the suffering she would endure at Caligula's hands when he looked at her in this innocent moment. "This isn't a game, Dite! This could be the start of the Twilight, the death of our family, and an end to tens of thousands of years of work to shape this world! Everything we've accomplished will be erased, including us, and the mortals we've carefully guided for centuries will be enslaved to a god who wants to see all the freedom humanity has managed to glean from their exhausting lives extinguished in the name of 'peace'!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Ar.. I'm sorry! Calm down! I'm sorry!" Aphrodite defended as Cupid put a protective arm around his mother, even though his uncle hadn't moved an inch in her direction.

Ares took a few cleansing breathes and shrugged off one of Discord's talons from his forearm. He didn't need calming down; he needed to banish his fear and regain his focus. "You need to know the stakes, Dite. This is no less a war for dominion than what we faced as kids against the Titans. Our tactics may be different, but the consequences for winning and loosing are the same, life and freedom, or complete annihilation. This is as serious as it gets!"

Seeing the fear blossom in his sister's eyes, Ares felt guilty for a brief moment, but this fear was far more tolerable than the devastation that would come in the Twilight. Aphrodite might not be a warrior, but she was a fighter. If she fought now, she might come out ahead this time.

"Okay, Ar. I'll ensure the prostitutes know what's expected and what to say," Aphrodite stated meekly, but with firm resolution behind her words. That was all Ares would ask of her.

"Good. We need them ready to go by mid-day tomorrow. Take them no farther than Andos. They need to walk into Pylos on their own two feet," Ares finalized, making it clear they all understood that things had to move quickly and he was sending them on their way.

"Don't worry, Bro. They will," Aphrodite offered, hating to disappoint her brother. He'd always looked out for her despite everything and for that she was grateful.

"I'm not worried. You and Cupid always come through," Ares returned, giving each a shoulder pat of encouragement. The last thing he saw as he flashed out of the room Discord sticking a finger down her throat, as she mimed gagging. She didn't understand the kid gloves he used with Dite and Cupid, but then she never had; it just wasn't her nature.

Once he reached his personal chambers, Ares sat down in front of his view screen and brought up an image of Xena sitting alone by the fire, sharpening her sword. No matter how many times he watched her, it was never enough. She was why he'd started this therapy in the first place and why he was working so hard to fix his past with Eli. Yes, he wanted to save his worldly accomplishments and his family, but he also knew that this was where the greatest breach of trust between them had occurred. He'd done terrible things before, but she'd viewed Eli as a savior who'd rescued her and Gabrielle from an eternity in hell, and he'd killed the man. Even after she'd witnessed Micheal attempt to murder Aphrodite, Xena had never accepted that Eli hadn't been innocent. That the world had become a battlefield in a new type of war, one that took gods just as easily as mortals, and that he had merely been defending himself and his family. Maybe this time she'd come to see the bigger picture. Maybe this time she'd understand why he'd done it.

'Make her understand. Make her understand'. It had been his own internal prayer for centuries, to the universe if nothing else, and he whispered it again as he removed his boots, walked over to his bed, and settled into a nap in order to escape from the pressures this regret put upon them, literally one annoying man's life and the fate of the entire world.

When Ares woke less than three hours later, it was to Discord shoving her nails deep into his exposed left bicep. "Do that again and I'll rip you into five pieces and feed you to five different sharks!"

"Ares, what were you doing?! I tried shaking you and you wouldn't wake up! What's wrong with you?" Ares' youngest sister wailed, and for the first time in their relationship, he felt a tad guilty. Considering all the talk of Twilight and death, his sleeping might have upset her. She had no way of knowing his mortal future and wouldn't understand the habit, but there was something new in her voice, fear, and he was responsible for putting it there.

"I was just taking a small nap. It helps me organize things," Ares defended, refusing to give this sister any information beyond a basic explanation of events. He wasn't dead and his sleep had purpose.

"Nap? Mortals nap, not gods!" Discord retorted in disgust.

But Ares heard more than revulsion. That was something he'd noticed since he'd gone back to stop Gabrielle's rape and Hope's conception. Whenever he spoke with his family, or even Xena and Blondie for that matter, he somehow found new meaning in their words. The original words and posturing were still there, but what emotions were motivating these conversations were just as loud and seemed more important now. Ares could only guess that this new found ability was part of the therapy, and he'd ask Dr. Naadiah about it later, but for now he had to decide how he was going to ease Discord's fear. In the previous timeline, when the Twilight had taught her fear, the young goddess had always rushed in whenever the emotion struck, as if making the first move would keep her safe. It never did and the backlash usually ended up his mess to clean. As their parents had told him long, long ago, Discord worked for him and he was accountable for her efforts.

"It's fine. I'm fine. It was just a nap. Now, what is it you woke me for?" Ares grumbled as he swatted aside his ruminating to focus on the matter at hand. Greater introspection appeared to be another byproduct of the therapy that he needed to question Dr. Naadiah about.

"Oh right, the Bimbo is missing. She and Cupid were supposed to meet up at her temple outside Andos, but she never showed. He can't find her anywhere, neither can Hephaestus. It's like she's just disappeared! Gods aren't supposed to just disappear like that! Even 'napping' I was still able to find you!" Discord insisted, her voice becoming more panicked with each progressing word.

Ares was grateful that she was taking it all seriously now, but Aphrodite's had disappeared and he immediately focused on that above all else. Technically, she could be hiding herself, but considering the timing, kidnapping was more likely. Thus, he'd start his search with the most likely suspect. "What's Eli doing at the moment?"

"You think that little freak took her?" Discord asked, hoping she now had a direction to focus her anger after being so out of control. She was a goddess. Uncertainty was for mortals. This wasn't right.

"Not personally. For all the power he's been granted, Eli's still on another's payroll," Ares replied, not wanting his youngest sister to panic. Discord at the mercy of her own Godhood was what had gotten her killed the first time around.

"Yeah, Mithra, but you can't go up against him. He already wants to see us all equally dead, remember?" Discord reminded Ares, fearing he'd do something suicidal. Despite her godhood, she was still young and as much as it galled her to admit, she needed him to save her skin. She understood that now and she wasn't going to let her brother and mentor take risks that could leave her unprotected.

"I don't intend to go up against Mithra, but Eli might know where Dite is. He won't tell me, obviously, but he might tell Xena, or at least she might figure out a way to trick him into giving her the information," Ares answered with a small smirk. Even in the middle of all this he couldn't help be in awe of his Warrior Princess' many skills. He just hoped they'd be on Aphrodite's side.

"Yes, she is clever, but impulsive sometimes, reckless even. Not necessarily the best attributes for a mother," an overconfident, male voice replied, forcing Ares' head to snap around to look at the speaker who now stood in the exact same spot where Discord had just been.

"Threatening a child of Xena's has never been the wisest move, Micheal," Ares replied, trying to figure out what this being was after. The fact that Micheal was here, in the flesh and feathers, meant that he almost certainly held Aphrodite, and possibly Discord. Yet Ares didn't see how taking them benefited the archangel.

"Which is why you're going to stop with your little games and play the part you were meant to play in what's to come," Micheal insisted, staring down Ares as if he were an errant child.

"And just what part would that be?"Ares replied, knowing the answer in his heart. Xena had said it best when he'd killed Eli, he'd played right into Eli's hands. Trying to negotiate, trying to break up Eli's cult without violence, these things wouldn't further Mithra's agenda. In their narrative, the Olympian gods were the only bullies, the lone killers, and he more than any of his relatives represented that craven bloodlust to mankind. If he refused to make an example of Eli, it would stall their movement, and Micheal couldn't allow that.

Michael rolled his eyes at Ares attempts to delay before replying. "There you go with the games again, War God. Tell me, do you think Xena will find them funny when she miscarries because you couldn't stop playing? Do you think she'll care that Eli's life, and the lives of his followers were spared when she lights another funeral pyre for a babe she never got to watch grow up?"

Ares closed his eyes remembering all Xena had gone through to save Eve.. and admittedly, all he'd gone through as well. Now he had the final proof to something he'd suspected for the past few centuries, that Eve's existence had been payment for services rendered, namely Xena's role in ensuring the Twilight. Mithra became the dominant power in the world, Xena and Blondie got a second crack at motherhood, and his family paid the price.

"No. No I don't.. but unlike you or I, Xena would be surrounded by friends and family who'd support her. Heck, if nothing else, my broth.. Hercules would see her through. He'd save her from herself, if it ever came to that. And then they'd realize who was responsible for the child's death and come after you," Ares growled darkly, spewing back all the venom Michael's threat had brought to the surface. Still the words were as toxic to him as they were to the arrogant archangel. He never wanted to see Xena broken like the way she'd been after Solan's murder, even knowing that she'd come out the other end.

"Do you really believe it would be me they'd conclude was responsible. After all, I didn't have Strife kill Hercules' wife. That was you. I didn't betray Xena by siring Destroyers on the abomination, Hope. That was you. I didn't nearly deny Hercules the chance to save his best friend's soul from Dahok's grasp. You again. I think, when all is said and done, that it will be you they come after for killing the child, in order to stop the Twilight," Micheal rebutted, reminding Ares of the loathing he'd inspired over the years and the misplaced loyalty the God of Light now had from the world's two greatest heroes.

"And yet Xena knows it was your god that gave her that baby in the first place, only to have her miscarry. Xena's not as tethered to her prejudices as my brother is. She'd eventually figure out you've been playing her and Blondie and come knocking down your door. Even if she killed me first, she'd soon discover her error and blame you for that as well." Ares retorted. If Xena killed him for Eve's death, he'd accept it. He had faith she'd learn the truth eventually and make Micheal pay for misleading her. She didn't love him, but she hated being deceived, and for that reason alone she'd avenge him.

"You just don't seem to get it, godling; you can't win here. You either play your role, or be removed from the board," Michael explained, allowing the reality of the situation settle on the lesser being before him.

"That depends on how you define winning. And if I'm not mistaken, you're the one who's kidnapped Aphrodite, so again this has more to do with me than Xena or anyone else for that matter," Ares retorted, barely restraining an eye-roll at Michael's arrogance. He was worried for his overly-bubbly sister, but he wouldn't admit it or show weakness in front of this winged fool.

Micheal gave a small huff, not used to this verbal sparing. Ares wasn't supposed to have a backbone. He was supposed to be an opportunist, to shift with the winds of power, like he'd always done. Micheal had watched him for centuries. He'd been sure he had the godling figured out. Now he was struggling to get a beat on him. Something was different. "Alright then, let's talk about you, War God. I have two of your sisters; you'll do as I say or.."

"Or what? You'll kill them? While I don't doubt that you.. or more accurately, Mithra, has the power to do just that, the two of you know the consequences to Dite being snuffed, namely I loose my marbles without the Goddess of Love to balance me out, which would literally make it impossible for me to 'play my role' in your preferred version of the twilight. As for Discord.. I would mourn her.. I would.. but I could let her go.. especially if it puts Xena even one tiny step closer to kicking your *ss!" Ares sneered as a bizarre combination of bravado and genuine acceptance settled over him.

If Micheal killed Dite, he'd loose his mind over the next few months, and pretty soon he wouldn't even know his own name, much less that he'd lost two of his sisters, or even that he'd had sisters to begin with. If Discord was to be sacrificed.. well he'd lost her long ago. He might wish that things had turned out better for her, that the universe had given her the chances it had given him, but she'd died with her sword in hand, defending her life, for a cause she believed in. As the God of War, he respected that, far more than he'd ever respected her in life. He wouldn't grovel to Mithra's lackey or give into threats and take that away from her.

"It's always about the killing with you, isn't it? Well, War God, I don't have to kill Aphrodite. I can stash her somewhere, maybe on the head of a pin in some foreign land. Oh, you'll search, of course, but how long before she looses her own sanity. Your gregarious sister doesn't strike me as the sort to handle millions of years of solitary confinement all that well. Play your part and you'll get her back soon, along with the sister you've apparently already written off; refuse and you'll never see either of them again. I'll leave you to come up with a plan for dealing with Eli, godling. Seems you've been doing a lot of that recently, haven't you?" Micheal finished before disappearing from Ares rooms, leaving the God of War alone with his thoughts and his rage.

Realizing that he was on the verge of a melt down that would draw attention to him and send Olympus into panic mode when everyone realized that Aphrodite and Discord were MIA, Ares took several cleansing breaths and got enough control over himself to make his way to his bedroom, and the balcony where he could throw fireballs to his savage heart's content until he figured out what to do.

Unfortunately, before he took the first step, he was stopped in his tracks by a barely audible voice. "He's the real deal, isn't he, Ares?"

Spinning around again, Ares jaw fell slightly when he saw Minthe standing on the edge of his viewing room, nervously twisting her hands as she waited for an answer. A few days after returning from his last therapy session, where he'd revisited life as a godling of thirteen years, he and Dite had nearly wet themselves upon seeing Minthe alive and all grown up at a counsel meeting. At first they'd made a game of trying to guess who the oddly familiar goddess was related to, having assumed that one of the younger gods was trotting out their newest progeny for their first counsel meeting. Then Minthe had noticed Aphrodite was looking at her and the year-younger goddess waved at her childhood friend, her face lighting up at the attention, and Ares nearly lost his left arm to Aphrodite's shocked death grip. By saving Minthe when she was seven years old, they'd given her a second chance at life, and she'd obviously taken advantage it, escaping all other dangers, including the Twilight. Now she, like them, was one of the old guard, despite the fact that neither the God of War or the Goddess of Love had any memories of knowing the tawny-haired goddess since they were kids.

Still, despite the initial shock, Minthe's newly restored presence had made Ares more optimistic than ever about his therapy. After all, if he could alter her fate and keep her alive, perhaps he could do the same with Xena in Japa when the time came. If Minthe got a chance to grow up this time, why couldn't he and Xena have their one in a billion chance as well. The odds of reality had been against both outcomes and yet here Minthe stood, 2000 years in the past, but alive long after she'd existed in the original timeline. "Minthe, I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"Ares, what are we going to do? He has Dite!" Minthe gasped, trying not to cry, but flooded with a fear she hadn't known since she nearly died at the hands of the titan Thanatos.

"I know, and I'm going to get her back. I tried doing things the bloodless way, but if Aphrodite's sanity hangs in the balance.. well nothing is worth that, not even my own survival. I'll kill Eli, and I'll deal with the consequences, with Xena. I promise you don't have to worry, Minthe. I'll get Dite back," Ares responded, the sound of defeat flowing from his lips and saturating the room. Micheal had won this round and once Xena found the dagger of Helios, she might kill him this time. Hopefully the threat to Dite's sanity if he died would be enough to stop her. Not that Xena or Blonde would believe they were all trapped in an elaborate hostage situation of Michael's making, but that Dite would go mad if the God of War was killed should save his skin. Xena wouldn't want to risk Blonde loosing two friends today after all.


End file.
